Short Synopsis
This gripping, deeply thoughtful book from David W. Orr considers the future of civilization in the light of what we know about climate change and related threats.

Full Synopsis
This gripping, deeply thoughtful book considers the future of civilization in the light of what we know about climate change and related threats. David Orr, an award-winning, internationally recognized leader in the field of sustainability and environmental education, pulls no punches: Even with the Paris Agreement of 2015, Earth systems will not reach a new equilibrium for centuries. Earth is becoming a different planet—more threadbare and less biologically diverse, with more acidic oceans and a hotter, more capricious climate. Furthermore, technology will not solve complex problems of sustainability.

Yet we are not fated to destroy the Earth, Orr insists. He imagines sustainability as a quest and a transition built upon robust and durable democratic and economic institutions, as well as changes in heart and mindset. The transition, he writes, is beginning from the bottom up in communities and neighborhoods. He lays out specific principles and priorities to guide us toward enduring harmony between human and natural systems.

“David Orr has written a perfectly marvelous book, a deep and wide-ranging reflection on the human condition. It's a winner, and a rare one at that.” ---James Gustave Speth, author of Red Sky at Morning

“An extremely valuable look at humanity's horizon, the challenging millennium ahead and how we might—indeed must—transition to sustainability. . . . Destined to become one of the great environmental classics.” ---Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Washington University

“David Orr, a personal hero and one of the world’s great environmental champions and scholars, has delivered a powerful and urgent manifesto." ---Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods

“A valuable addition to environmental and philosophical wisdom.” ---Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University